The Legacy
by Jaheira1000
Summary: The Breakers are on their way to visit Rei's village. What happens when they hear a legacy that has something to do with one of their teammates? KaiMariah CH6 up now!
1. Chapter 1: Arrival

Jaheira1000: Yet another of my recently started stories! This was an idea that came to me in a dream. I really mean that!

Disclaimer: Not mine!

Warnings: Possible Rape, Language, Possible torture, etc…

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**The Legacy:**

**CHAPTER ONE: Arrival**

It was a beautiful sunny day, and the breakers were once again getting ready for a flight to a new place. Ray had invited his team to come and visit his village for a few months. He was excited and eager because his whole team would be coming, even Kai had been 'persuaded' to join them.

Tyson had threatened to move in with Kai if he refused, which pretty much sealed the deal. After taking off, the team relaxed and decided what they wanted to do. Max and Tyson kept jumping around, and changing their minds every five minutes, while Ray sat reading a book, and Kai...Kai was sleeping.

The rest of the White Tiger team was also on the plane with them, since they were heading home from the last blading tournament they had participated. They were amazed to hear a mumble from Kai. He was talking in his sleep. Mariah leaned closer to him making out one word. She walked towards Ray.

"I didn't know Kai could speak Chinese." She said. Ray was startled.

"What do you mean he can speak Chinese?" Mariah shrugged.

"He mumbled the word 'Phoenix' in Chinese, but maybe he only understands that one word. It wouldn't be surprising considering his bit-beast Dranzer." Ray shrugged and turned back to his book, the incident forgotten.

After nine hours, they finally arrived at their destination. Ray ushered everybody off the plane and through customs. After locating their luggage, he ushered them outside, where they awaited their transport. This consisted of three heavy duty jeeps since they would be traveling through the mountains, which arrived five hours after their plane landed.

During this time Kai disappeared, reappearing only minutes before they had to leave. After piling themselves and their luggage aboard, they climbed in and set off.

In the front car was Tyson of course, Max and Gary. The second car contained Kevin, Lee and Kenny. The last car held Mariah, Ray and Kai. The two front cars were lively with the Breakers chattering and the White Tigers showing off, while the final car was very quiet. Mariah and Ray conversed in Chinese, while Kai just leaned back against the side of the vehicle.

_"What's up with Kai? He's always so quiet; one would almost think he isn't human. I've never even seen him smile, but he probably shows a different side to you guys since you're on his team?" _Ray shook his head sadly.

_"No, he's like this around us too. It's like he tries to isolate himself from everyone else. It worries me."_ At these words, Kai looked up and his eyes met Ray's. Ray shifted uncomfortably. It was almost as if Kai had understood their conversation, but then he would have said something. Shrugging it off, Ray struck up a new conversation with Mariah, sighing with relief when Kai closed his eyes again.

After another two hours, they heard a disturbance up ahead. Without warning, two boulders came crashing down in front of the third jeep. As they watched in horror, another boulder was descending towards them. The occupants of the jeep jumped out, saving one. Mariah had frozen in place, staring in horror at the boulder coming towards her.

As she closed her eyes, thinking it was the end, she felt somebody tackle her from behind, pulling her out of the jeep, and rolling with her into the ditch at the base of the mountain down which the boulder was coming. She was pressed tightly against the ground, somebody's body covering hers. She felt the vibrations as the boulder passed over them. She was jolted badly, so she couldn't imagine what the person on top of her was feeling. They had taken the brunt of the shock.

As she sat up and looked around she was shocked. She stared into a pair of crimson eyes which for the first time showed emotion. She saw a flicker of pain in their depths, just before they became emotionless once more. It was Kai, he had saved her life. And she had thought he didn't care, but he had risked his life for hers. Stumbling to her feet she saw him grit his teeth. She saw his left shoulder and gasped. It was completely dislocated. Her hands went to her mouth in horror. He was hurt quite badly, but as she stepped toward him, he held up one hand to stop her. He stood straight and took a deep breath, raising his hand to his injured shoulder. He braced himself and Mariah realized only at the last moment what he was doing. She heard a sickening crunch as he pushed the joints back into place. What amazed her even more was that he didn't make a sound, even through what must be unbearable pain.

"Why'd you do that?" She yelled at him. He glared back at her.

"I can't fight with my arm like that." Mariah frowned.

"Fight?" Kai scowled.

"Do you really think those boulders fell by accident?" Ray came forward for the first time.

"I think Kai is right Mariah, it might have been THEM." Before any of them could do anything, they saw a beyblade shoot towards them. Ray launched Drigger, and the two blades met in mid-air. Just as Drigger got the upper hand, another blade was launched straight at Ray, who was too busy battling to notice.

Fortunately, Kai was more aware. He managed to launch Dranzer in spite of his shoulder, just in time to save the battling neko-jin. As the two boys battled, someone was watching from the shadows. Finally, Kai got fed up with this and called forth his bit-beast Dranzer. She swept the other blade away and, shouting for Ray to move, Kai made short work of the other blade.

Though he would never admit it, Kai was getting worn out, and he demanded to know how long it would take them to make it to the White Tiger village. The driver took out his phone and told the others to go on ahead; they would have to do some hiking to get to the village. Kai was getting impatient.

"How long will this hike take us?" He growled. Thinking for a moment the driver took one look at Kai's shoulder and his clothes before answering.

"About three to four hours." Kai raised his eyebrows.

"Let's say for example that I can move as fast as Ray and Mariah even with my shoulder, how long would it take then?" The driver looked skeptical, but answered.

"Under an hour." Kai smirked inwardly, this was gonna be interesting. He kept his face emotionless before asking.

"Since you seem to doubt my ability to move quickly, would you let me set the pace?" The driver nodded silently, and Kai made his way to the steepest part of the mountain, his duffel slung across his back. Mariah came towards him. "Wouldn't it be easier on your shoulder if we took the gentler slope?"

"That way is longer."

"Yeah, but..."

"Listen, if you can't handle it then take the long way, but I don't have any problems with it." Mariah huffed, and decided that she would leave him in her dust at first opportunity.

Kai took hold of the first rock and looked over his shoulder, as if to ask them 'You coming?' Imagine their shock when Kai practically ran up the mountain.

When he was half-way to the first ledge, they realized they would have to go flat out just to keep up with him. After another fifteen minutes, Mariah's temper flared. She had wanted to leave him in the dust, but she could barely keep up. The guy was supposed to be injured for goodness sake!

As she scaled the mountain, she wondered if he actually felt pain. As the thought passed her mind, she saw Kai hesitate for just one moment, the flicker of pain visible in his eyes once more. She realized then that he was also human. He had emotions, he felt pain, he could suffer. The only reason nobody knew, was the fact that he masked it too well to be seen.

Finally after about 40 minutes, they reached the village. Kai stopped at the entrance of the village and allowed Mariah, Ray and the driver to enter first. He followed about five meters behind. As they walked, he noticed that everybody was watching their progress through the village. He felt uncomfortable with the attention, but strove to ignore it.

Finally they reached the elders' hut, where the rest of the bladers were waiting for them. Everybody crowded them trying to find out if they were all fine, if they had been hurt, and all those things. Kai had fortunately kept back so he wasn't engulfed by the wave of bladers. Tyson casually threw a, "You OK?" at Kai over his shoulder, and turned away after receiving his customary "hn" in return. For some reason this angered both Mariah and Ray, who were being fussed over. Naturally, Mariah's temper broke free first.

"SHUT UP!" She yelled. There was a silence thick enough to chew. They looked at her questioningly. Her eyes narrowed into slits.

"YOU PEOPLE ARE ALL IDIOTS! You fuss over me and Ray when there is nothing wrong with us, yet you ignore the only one who did get hurt!" They all looked at her in surprise, but Tyson, being Tyson, had to put his foot in it.

"You mean the driver got hurt?" Mariah walked up to him and surprised everyone by slapping him so hard, his head snapped back. Grabbing him by his collar, she yanked him towards her.

"No you dolt, the driver's fine! The person who got hurt was Kai! There was a boulder about to crush the car and I had frozen. I couldn't move. He tackled me out of the jeep and proceeded to drag me into a ditch and cover my body with his. He felt the worst of the shock and his left shoulder was completely dislocated. To make matters even worse, he then proceeded to click his arm back into place. The reason for that became obvious when we were attacked by two blades. Ray was battling the one, and didn't notice the other one heading directly for him. Kai managed to launch his Dranzer through God knows what pain to save Ray. After that he defeated the other two blades with his Dranzer. When that was done, he had to hike for 40 MINUTES through some of the roughest country I know, and you're treating him like a spoilt brat! And all of this was done without a single complaint!" Everybody was shocked by this outburst. The Elders' who had approached at the sound of their voices, stood unknown outside the door. They couldn't believe what they had heard. How could such a person exist? Inside the room, a shocked silence still prevailed. They had known Kai was tough, but not THAT tough.

They all turned to look at Kai, who had resumed his normal pose of crossed arms and closed eyes, while leaning against the wall. He looked exactly the same as always, a little dusty perhaps, but still the same. Opening his eyes he glared at Mariah.

"You talk too much." He growled before closing his eyes once again. While they all stood staring, the Elders' decided to make their presence known. Walking into the room, they greeted their own bladers first in Chinese.

" _Welcome back young ones. Did you enjoy yourselves?" _After making the proper greeting, they all sat down to tell the Elders' all about it. When they were finished, they proceeded to introduce the breakers. When they finally reached Kai, they were surprised to hear him give the traditional greeting. The Elders' narrowed their eyes, but made no comment. The younger people present, weren't as wise. They asked him where he had learnt it, but he just shrugged and resumed his position against the wall. After a few more unsuccessful minutes of pleading, they decided to drop it. The Elders' proceeded to sort out where everybody would be sleeping, when one of the Elders' interrupted the others.

Everybody but Kai had been assigned a temporary home.

"Why not put him with Mariah and her grandmother? She is the village healer, so she can take care of that young mans obvious injuries." At these words, Kai's head snapped up.

"How?" The Elders' smirked, before the leader said.

_"You wear a strong mask young one, but even the strongest mask can crack. You stand there in what I assume is your normal manner to attract attention away from the fact that you are favoring your left side."_ He was speaking Chinese soRay interrupted here.

_"I don't think he speaks Chin..." _But before he could finish his sentence, it was his turn to be interrupted.

_"I'll have to watch myself here. Take a good look, because this won't happen again. Never again." _Everybody was staring at Kai in shock, but nobody so much as Ray and the White Tigers. The others were shocked that he could speak Chinese, but what they didn't know, was that Kai had used the ancient dialect still favored by the White Tiger Clan.

The Elders' caught his meaning, and they smiled among themselves. Their children had brought someone interesting home, and they were determined to explore the possibilities. Kai however, watched their reactions through narrowed eyes before stalking out of the hut. There were a few more moments of silence before the others also made their way outside, to find their new lodgings.

Tyson would be staying with Lee and Ray, while Kenny is staying with Gary and his friend, Max was put with Kevin's' family, and Kai would be with Mariah. The fact that the Elders' had put Kai with Mariah was a shock to them all, because they were generally very old-fashioned about their views when it came to how they treated girls. It was probably because she stayed with her grandmother. The boys all had their own huts, which they shared with each other. The lived this way to make them independent from their parents, while still being close enough to ask advice.

As Mariah made her way home, she wondered where Kai had disappeared to. She still had to show him how to get there. As she made her way to the front door she heard his voice behind her.

_"So is this it?" _She spun around to see him behind her.

"How do you do that?" She asked, reverting back to English. He shrugged and looked at her expectantly. Sighing, she pulled her shattered nerves together and opened the door.

_"Nanna, I'm back! I've brought a guest." _As she spoke, she saw her grandmother enter the room from the kitchen and ran to greet her with a hug.

_"Now what's all this about a guest?"_

_"The Elders' said he was to stay here."_

_"He? Is it a boy then?"_

_"Yeah, he is."_

_"Where is he then?"_

_"Just around the corner here, I accidentally knocked you back when I greeted you."_

_"My isn't he just adorable, and so handsome!"_ Mariah flushed bright red at these comments, because she had already noticed the finer points of his oh-so-handsome body.

_"He understands our Chinese Nanna." _She muttered softly.

_"Well! That is a nice surprise! I don't mind really. You know me; I'm never one to hide my opinions. It's a pity his face is so emotionless."_ Mariah felt her cheeks redden again after her grandmother's final observation. It was a sentiment she also shared, but she would never have dared to say it out loud. Mariah cringed inwardly as the old lady walked towards him. She stopped right in front of him. He felt her presence and opened his eyes. They stared each other in the eye for at least a minute before she cracked a smile.

_"Where'd you learn to keep the emotion out of your eyes young one? It is a remarkable talent you have. I have never seen such lovely eyes with so little emotion."_ Kai narrowed his eyes before answering.

_"If you had a choice between survival and emotion which would you choose? Would you choose to die because you showed emotion, or would you keep yourself under control and avoid the death that awaits the weak? Which would you choose?"_ The old woman narrowed her eyes. Her eyes searched his. He was serious. He was speaking from experience.

_"The choice is obvious. Any human would choose survival, but that is a double-edged sword young one. When the threat is subdued, the emotion must be released once more, otherwise they may destroy you from the inside out. You need to know when to let go."_ Kai closed his eyes for a moment. When they opened once more, there was something else there. His eyes burned brightly as she literally saw flames dance in their depths. She smiled and nodded.

_"I'm glad to see you took my words to heart. Come through, I will bring something for your wounds soon." _Her reward was the ghost of a smile in his eyes. She knew why the Elders' had sent him to her. He needed help because he had suffered greatly. Smiling softly, she moved towards the kitchen to retrieve her herbs...

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Jaheira1000: Remember to give me your thoughts in a review! Ja ne:P


	2. Chapter 2: Startling Discoveries

Jaheira1000: Here it is! My new chapter! Thanx 2 everybody who reviewed! You guys rock!

Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't bother suing. Am broke. Nuff said.

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CHAPTER 2: Startling discoveries

As Mariah left him to his new room, Kai gently laid himself down wincing when his shoulder made contact with the bed. He replayed the scene with the old lady in his mind. He couldn't understand why he had been so open with her, but what she said was true. However, he couldn't change overnight. He knew this stay would change his life, but he couldn't tell if it was for better or worse. As he lay there with closed eyes, he heard someone enter the room. He opened his eyes and saw the old lady standing in front of him. She asked him to remove his shirt, but here he hesitated. There was something on his back that he didn't want her seeing.

After recognizing the dialect used in the village, he had started getting suspicious. His grandmothers' half of the family had originated from here in China. All he knew was that his grandmother had come from a small village in China. There were plenty of those scattered around, but he couldn't believe it was coincidence. Everything he had seen so far had coincided with the things he had read in his grandmother's journal. She had been the healer of her village, and she had written all her secrets in that book. He had read it, and memorized them all. Where was the journal now? Gone. After his grandmother had died, his grandfather had changed. He became harsh...cruel...insane. He had started the abbey, and his plans for world domination. Kai had managed to hide his grandmothers' journal, as well as one or two of the books she had about her old village. After he had memorized every detail about the culture, history and language of her people, he read them for comfort. Eventually though, the books were discovered and destroyed. He was glad that he was always able to remember everything he had read.

Returning to the present, he realized that the old woman was waiting for him to remove his shirt. He moved the shirt to uncover his shoulder, still reluctant to take it off entirely. As she picked up her herbs she saw him thinking, staring intently at the herbs she was handling. As she picked up each herb, he recited the name and properties given to them by them village. She was shocked to find him recognizing them. When she picked up the final herb she smiled. There was no way he would know this one. It was a herb discovered by her best friend of many years ago. She was the best healer the village had ever had. She had a magic touch. She had discovered it and named it. She dropped everything she was holding when she heard Kai whisper its name. She looked deeply into his eyes. For once, they held emotion. They held love, happiness, sadness, regret and loneliness.

She looked into his eyes and realized that she had seen them before. The red colour, the emotions, the FIRE. _"How did you know that?" _She asked him, her gaze never wandering. She saw a tear slide down his cheek. _"My grandmother. She was apparently from a small village here in China. I found her journal and some books that she had brought from her home. That's also where I found my bit-beast Dranzer. I studied everything and taught myself what she had written there. She died when I was very young." _The old woman sat down hard on the end of his bed. She couldn't believe it. She was nursing the grandson of Filia Shang, the greatest healer in all of China. There had never been a healer that could match her.

Slowly Kai moved to the edge of the bed. He picked up the implements she had dropped and got to work. He mixed the ingredients silently. As she watched him work, she was hit by memories. The way he frowned while working, the way he measured the herbs, the way he tilted his hands. They were mirror images of the way SHE had done it. As he finished the mixture, she realized something. He was special. He would become something great.

Mariah's eyes widened. She had always been curious about the mixtures her grandmother made, so she had walked outside to peep in through the window. She had seen the entire exchange. So that's why he knew so much. She had been shocked to see Kai cry, but she mentally berated herself. He was still human after all. Nanna took a deep breath and asked the confirming question, _"What was her maiden name?" _Seeing the question in his eyes, she smiled, _"Please, it's important to me."_ He thought for a moment and said clearly, _"Her name was Filia Shang." _

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. It was true! The Shang heir had returned. Even though his last name had changed by marriage, he would still be known as the Shang heir. She started speaking slowly, _"She was a wonderful person. She was always happy, always smiling. She gave hope through the dark times, laughter through the light times. She was truly special. Then, when HE came to our village, she changed. She fell in love. When they were told that they could never wed, she started wilting, like a beautiful, but fragile flower. Seeing her like that, they decided to grant her the happiness she then craved. I just wish to know, was she happy?" _The young boy looked up at her. He smiled very slightly, but it was a sad smile. _"She was very happy. She brought out the best in my grandfather, and he treated her well, but after she passed away...he changed. It was as if his spirit had died with her. He took me away from my parents after murdering them. He raised me to be a weapon, but I couldn't hate him. I allowed him to dominate me because I still cared about him, but he wasn't the same person anymore. As I slowly started realizing this, I met the Breakers. They tried so hard to be my friends, but I shut them out. I had seen what caring too much, can do to a person. Eventually we defeated my grandfather, and that's when I realized, I had lost him a long time ago. He had died with my grandmother. That's when I gave up believing in him. I always believed he would come back, but he never did."_

Nanna sat closer to him and wrapped her arms around him and let him cry into her shoulder. He had never been able to open up before. What had happened to him? Mariah was shocked. How had he managed to keep that bottled up without tearing himself apart on the inside. He had slowly been killing himself from the inside out. She felt her own tears flow. She cried for the boy inside her home who had been tortured, who had lost his parents, who had lost his ideals, who had lost his entire family. Her tears were all for him. Nobody deserved to go through that kind of torture. No wonder he showed an emotionless mask to the world. He was afraid of getting hurt again. Every important person in his life had either died, or betrayed him.

Kai cried himself dry. After that, he wiped his face and resumed his emotionless mask. _"Please don't tell anyone about this." _He requested quietly. Nanna looked at him for a moment before answering. _"I will not reveal what happened here today, but I must inform the Elders' about who you are. It is only right since you are a part of our clan, and our clan is our family."_ Kai shook his head softly. He had hoped she wouldn't see it like that. It looked like he would have to pull his disappearing act out when it was time to leave. He picked up the bowl in which he had made the medicine and held it out to her. She took it from him and started applying it to his shoulder in silence. She marveled at how well he had done it. The only other person to make it as well was Filia Shang. After applying a thick layer, she bound his shoulder with a bandage and left the room...

Meanwhile, Mariah had rushed off and gathered all the bladers. She told them of her discovery and they gasped in shock. They finally had an idea of what went on in Kai's head, and it wasn't pretty. They couldn't even begin to imagine how lousy his life must have been. What shocked them all even more was the fact that Kai was a part of the White Tiger Clan, and they had never even known. Max bounced up and down in excitement, "Does that mean Kai is a neko-jin too?" They all looked at each other. That was a very good question. As they were discussing the possibilities, they heard someone walking towards them. It was the very blader they had been talking about. As he came near, they saw he was really pissed off. Kai stopped just short of the group. He glared at each of them in turn before settling his gaze on Mariah. "Do you make a habit of listening to personal conversations?" He hissed.

The others all looked shocked. How did he know about that? He answered the unasked question, "I know because I heard you telling the others. Your guess was right on the money Max. I AM neko-jin, and as such I have much better hearing than normal people. THAT is why I don't show emotion. People forever tend to pry into your business, not to mention all the comparisons to a cat!" As they watched him they got the shock of their lives. He was so angry he had let his emotionless mask slip. His eyes had narrowed to slits in a cat-like way. In fact, they had narrowed the same way that Ray's would when he was angered. It was the first time they had seen Kai show any feline inclinations, and it looked strange with his red eyes. Mariah wondered if he could also purr. Since he was neko-jin it was probable.

Kai noticed their staring and realized what had happened. It seemed that finding his roots had brought out the cat part of him. Closing his eyes for a few moments he cleared his face of all emotion. When he opened his eyes, they were normal. He glared at them, "I don't need your pity, that's why I never told you!" He snapped. They breathed out slightly. Tyson said the smartest thing of his life, "We don't pity you Kai, we just try to understand you, but it's kinda hard when you refuse to let us in." The others all nodded. He looked at them one more time before turning to leave. His parting shot was this, "Fine, try. But I want the White Tigers to know this; I have no intention of staying here. I have my own life to live, and I will go where I wish when I wish."

As he stalked off, they all sighed in relief. He had taken it better than they thought he would. The White Tigers were looking at each other uncomfortably. They knew that problems would arise from the fact that Kai didn't want to settle. Just look at how the Elders' had reacted to Ray leaving the village. They would on occasion allow one of the females to leave and marry, but it was almost unthinkable to let a strong male leave. The Elders' would make trouble. Kai was in for a few surprises if he thought he could just leave the village, no questions asked. He was not only a VERY strong male, he was also a Shang, and as such a born healer. He had proven that to Nanna already. Ironically enough, the afore-mentioned old woman was currently seated before the Elders', telling them about the newest 'addition' to their clan. To say they were surprised was an understatement. They were absolutely shocked.

They already knew the problems that would ensue in trying to make him stay, but they would have to do it. They couldn't let one of their own leave. They had to make him form a bond with the village in order to keep him here. Although they didn't know it, all children in the clan were bonded to the village. It was a ritual that could be performed in one of many ways. The bond always made them return to the village of their birth, no matter what the situation. This was done, as was traditional, to keep the village from dying. The Elders' started discussing ways and means to keep the young phoenix now that he had come home...

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Jaheira1000: There you go people. I liked it, but I wanna know what you guys think! R&R! Ja ne:P


	3. Chapter 3: Purring

Jaheira1000: OMG I am SOOOO sorry guys. I would have updated faster but I had a back operation cause I was in a car accident. I finally managed to update again though so here it is! Thanx to all who reviewed! Love ya!

**Dedication: This chapter is dedicated to Kailover2006 who got my a.. in gear!**

Disclaimer: Not mine (right now).

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CHAPTER THREE: Purring

Kai meanwhile, had decided to go for a walk in the forest. The injured muscles in his shoulder were already starting to feel better. As he walked slowly along the leaf-covered ground of the forest, he heard a noise. It was a subtle noise, barely audible. He was being followed! He changed direction slightly, heading back towards the village, pretending to know nothing of his invisible follower. As he neared the entrance to the village, he was attacked.

His attacker was a boy around his own age who looked remarkably like Lee. The only difference where, his hair was dark green, and he was slightly shorter. Other than these two traits, they looked remarkably similar. Kai ducked to his right in order to avoid the rushed attack from the other boy. What do you think you're doing?" Kai barked at his assailant. The boy said nothing. Suddenly, he leapt backwards and retreated through the forest.

Shaking his head, Kai made his way back to the village. To his surprise. the village was in chaos! Everybody was scuttling around, like they were looking for something. Stopping the first person he met, he asked.

_"What's going on? Did something happen?" _The person was about to brush him off when he face-faulted and looked at the speaker.

To his surprise, the stranger glomped him and yelled out.

_"He's back, and he's okay!" _Before he knew what was happening, he was being glomped by practically everyone in the village. Backing away from them with his arms in front of him he asked.

_"What are you people talking about? I just went for a walk!" _He nervously looked at them as they buzzed around him, discussing what he had done. Judging by the few words he caught, one would think he had climbed Mount Everest twice in a day.

The Breakers and White Tigers rushed towards him and, for the second time that day, felt himself being glomped. Pushing them away he yelled, "Would someone tell me what's going on?" The White Tigers realised what had happened. Kai had wandered off without hearing about the dangers of leaving the village. The Elders' had already spread the news about who he was, (hence the enthusiastic welcome he had received), but the Breakers had noticed their captains' absence afterwards and became worried.

The village had been searched, and they realised he was missing. The chaos had been the result of trying to arrange a rescue party. After explaining all this to Kai, Ray watched his expression turn thoughtful. Tyson interupted his thoughts by asking.

"Hey man, are you okay? Did anything happen while you were out there?" Kai tilted his head thinking, before he answered.

"Well, yeah. I was attacked by some kid that looked like Lee, he was just a bit shorter with green hair instead of black. I still wanted to ask you about the attack on our jeep. I think it was the same people, but I wanted to know if you know anything about the people attacking us. I remember you saying 'it might be them', but never got as far as to say who 'they' were?" Ray paled slightly. He couldn't believe how much Kai had figured out by himself. The Elders' answered Kai's question.

_"They are the members of the Black Lion Clan. We are at war with them at the moment, but we never thought they would attack our visitors. However, according to Ray, they didn't attack our visitors. The only ones they attacked were yourself, Mariah, Ray and the driver. I'm just wondering how they knew of your heritage when even we didn't." _At these words, everybody was surprised to see Kai blushing. He walked to the main Elder and whispered something in his ear. He turned an even brighter red when the Elder laughed and said.

_"That is nothing to be ashamed of young one. It is something wonderful. I was actually concerned when I saw how emotionless you were, but now I feel much better." _He let out a laugh while Kai tried to glare through his blush. Seeing the curiousity on the faces of the other young bladers he explained, speaking English for the benefit of the Breakers, "According to him, he disappeared for a few hours after you arrived correct?" They all nodded silently.

"Well, all neko-jin have a great appreciation for beauty, although not all have the curiousity and bravery to look for it. He went for a walk when he saw the sunset at a particularly good time. Thinking himself alone, he allowed his emotion to show by starting to purr." He was interupted here by a shout of laughter as all the young bladers started laughing. The ice-cold Kai had admitted to purring! They couldn't believe it. The Elders' glared at them sternly before continueing.

"It's nothing to laugh about, considering that everyone in our village has purred at some stage or another! Would you like to say the rest?" This last was addressed at Kai, who refused to meets anybody's eyes.

"Fine." He muttered.

"While I was watching and relaxing, I heard somebody sneaking around. At the time I didn't think much of it, but I think it was them. They could easily have deduced my origin from that since normal people can't..erm...do that. They would also have seen who I was travelling with." As he finished speaking, he looked up to see mischevious looks his friends' faces. He had a bad feeling about this. Tyson started walking slowly towards Kai with an evil grin on his face.

"So Kai, how does it sound when you purr?" Kai started backing away slowly. Trouble was coming. He could see it a mile away. He looked around for an ally, but was anxious to notice similar looks on all their faces. Giving up, he turned and started sprinting. With a chorus of, "Come back here!", the others started chasing him. The villagers all just laughed at the antics of their off-spring. Soon, almost all the children of the village were after him. Wondering what he had done to deserve this punishment, Kai dodged another ambush. Suddenly, a plan came to mind. He chose a spot with a bit of a clearing. He stopped running and turned around.

Surprised, the others stopped as well. He smirked, drawing out his blade. Understanding his challenge, Tyson whipped out Dragoon and they both launched their blades. Kai thought he could distract them from their original intention. He had not counted on the White Tigers' persistence though. As he was battling, Mariah whispered something to Lee and Ray. Smiling, they nodded and backed away slowly. Everybody's attention was on the beybattle.

Kai was concentrating on beating Tyson, so he didn't notice the absence of a certain pair of neko-jins. Because of this, he was shocked to feel someone pinning his arms behind his back the moment he knocked Tyson's blade to a stop. He turned his head slightly to see Lee and Ray grinning, pinning his arms behind him. Tyson was still moaning about his loss when the others finally remembered their original mission. The two boys each held one of his arms captive, since they knew he was stronger than either of them individually. As the others came running up, they started laughing. They couldn't believe they had actually caught him!

They marched him towards Ray and Lee's hut. They sat him down and tied him to a chair. Since all of them were curious to see how the other neko-jin's would make him calm down, they crowded into the room with them. The neko's decided to let Mariah have the honours. They thought he might feel more comfortable having a girl do it, since he probably wouldn't appreciate a guy touching him. She saw Kai's eyes slit again, and smiled at him.

"Don't worry, I won't bite." The others laughed. They knew Kai was gonna be even more pissed later, but they were too curious to care. Before she started, Mariah thought about all she knew about helping fellow neko's to relax. The only time they purred, was when they were completely calm. They wanted to make him feel comfortable about being around them. They had felt it would help him relax his guard. He had to feel more comfortable with the people around him for him to be willing to stay, but they knew he wouldn't do this willingly. They would have to force the first few steps.

Mariah walked up to Kai, and decided to start on the less sensitive spots. All neko-jin were very sensual creatures. They loved to be touched, petted and stroked by those they felt comfortable with. Smiling, Mariah petted his hair on top. She saw his eyes widen with surprise when she moved her hand to stroke his neck softly. His eyes softened as his muscles started relaxing. The others were shocked to see him calm down so fast. Kenny whispered to Ray.

"You've gotta teach us how to do that! Think how cool it would be if we could get him to relax more often." Mariahs hand moved to caress his cheek. Her eyes softened as she saw Kai's face relax for the first time...

Mariah's POV:

I can't believe how calm he looks. I've never seen him so relaxed. He looks so handsome when he isn't scowling. He looks like a completely different person. I guess we're finally seeing who he really is. I feel him shudder when I run my fingers through his hair. I feel so happy when I see him smile for the first time, not smirking, but actually smiling. I see a fang peep out as his lips curl softly. We probably never noticed them, because he's never actually smiled around us before.

I smile back and move my hand to the most sensitive spot a neko-jin has. Behind his ear. I scratch there lightly and a hear a soft velvety sound. It's the most beautiful and sensual noise I've ever heard. It's sounds almost like a song. I realise it's the sound I was waiting to hear. Kai was purring softly.

Normal POV:

The bladers in the hut were amazed to hear a soft sound. It sounded like somebody was humming softly. Looking around they traced the noise to it's source. It was Kai! He was purring softly! None of them had believed it was possible, but there was no doubt about the source of that enchanting sound. They were even more amazed at the look on his face. He was smiling slightly and he looked...content! His red eyes looked slightly glazed, as if he was remembering something pleasant.

Kai was thinking about his grandmother, and how she used to make that same sound. She would sometimes stroke him in the same way, and smile when he purred softly for her. Still caught in his memories, he felt them remove the ropes binding him to the chair, but he didn't care. He just purred a bit louder and started moving his head slightly against the caressing hand in a remarkably cat-like manner.

Watching him, Mariah thought he looked just like a kitten cuddling against it's mother. Satisfied with her progress, she stopped the movement and removed her hand. His eyes snapped back into focus, and he blinked in surprise. He realised he was still purring, and abruptly stopped seeing the looks on the faces of everyone standing around him. He blushed scarlet, unable to believe what he had done.

"Who were you thinking of?" Ray asked quietly, putting his arms around Kai after seeing a flash of sadness in his eyes. Kai blinked a few times in surprise before saying.

"My grandmother. She used to stroke me like that when I was younger." The group stared at him. The White Tigers all hugged him. The Breakers couldn't believe it! Kai never let anyone touch him. What was going on? He felt broken. He knew why they had done that. He had known what would happen if they caught him. He had let them catch him. He was tired of being strong. He was tired of hiding his emotions. He just wanted a place to call his own. A home.

At the same time, he knew he couldn't stay here. The reason was that stupid war. It would take more loved ones away from him. Maybe someday, when the war ended, he could come back. He stood up slowly, gently pushing the others away from him. They understood the gesture, and it hurt. He was still going to reject them. They knew it, expected it, but would still try to prevent it. He was one of them. They felt it, sensed it and wanted it. They had never seen him open up so much before. They watched sadly as he walked out slowly. He needed some time alone. They could understand his need for solitude now. Maybe he would come around soon. He was home, but the only one who couldn't see it was him...

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Jaheira1000: There you go! R&R please! Ja ne:P


	4. Chapter 4: Heat?

Jaheira1000: Hey there my peeps! This is an extra long chappie to make up for my lack of updates.

Disclaimer: Not mine!

**Dedications: This chapter is also dedicated to KaiLover2006 for her patience and kind PM's!**

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CHAPTER FOUR: Heat?

Kai was walking around the village slowly, his head lowered. He had a lot to think about. He already knew that he wouldn't be able to stay here, but he didn't want to leave.

He felt more at home here than he had anywhere else in the world. Maybe he could give this place a chance. They were going to be there for a few months. He would just have to see how things went...

It was already the second week of the Breakers' visit, and they were having the time of their lives. After that extremely tense first day, Kai seemed to return to his old self, just a little more social. He was more inclined to open up, but old habits died hard. He still tended to keep to himself.

The only times he opened up was when speaking to Nanna, or when he thought he was alone. Other than that, he was still mostly the same, only slipping up every now and then.

Today, the Elders' had called all the children together to make an announcement. The neko-jin village's school would be re-opening soon, and they wanted the Breakers to join in the lessons. They would all be evaluated, and then placed into classes.

Thinking it would be a great learning experience, Kai forced the grumbling team to either accept or face a triple dose of training every day. They decided school was the better option. The Elders' simply smiled as they saw the manner in which he controlled his team's antics.

He was a great leader.

As they all made their way towards the school for their evaluations, Ray explained a bit more about how it would work.

"They have different sections. You're tested to see which field you are most suited for, then they put you in a class with all the others in that field who are on the same level as yourself. Age isn't a factor." They all nodded to show they understood.

When they finally reached the school, they were amazed. The neko-jin village was actually quite large, and children from other villages would also come to this school, so it was quite large.

They were greeted by Lee's father at the entrance. He looked like an older version of his son. He greeted them with a smile and motioned for them to follow him.

Their first stop was a class room where they had to complete an IQ test, and then some sub-tests to determine their levels. After that, they were led to the healers training class where their aptitude for the subject was tested. The same was done for cooking, building, designing (beyblades) and sewing classes.

The final test was an obstacle course to test their speed, strength and endurance. Kai was the last one to do it, and the others couldn't believe how easy he made it look. When they were done, Ray led them to the cloak rooms so that they could shower and change into their new uniforms.

The schools uniforms consisted of black baggy pants like Ray usually wears, and white or black Chinese style tops that hang open in the front. Tyson, Max and Kenny wore the white tops, while Kai, Ray and the other White Tigers went with black tops. There was some awkwardness in trying to persuade Kai to get out of his cubicle when he saw what he had to wear.

It took the threat of Tyson and Max whining to get him to come out. When he stepped out, they couldn't believe their eyes.

Before them stood a living god.

He had lightly sculpted muscles and a form that any of them would have killed for. As they looked him up and down in amazement he blushed and crossed his arms over his chest. This obscured most of their view and they stopped staring. He hadn't had time to replace the marks on his cheeks and he looked very good without them.

As he moved to get the paints he used, Tyson grabbed his arm making him drop the container. As they watched in horror, the small glass jar shattered.

If looks could kill, Tyson would have been buried.

He stuttered an apology before adding that Kai actually looked better without them. Flushing again, Kai turned to resume his customary pose against the wall. After they were all finished, they left for the cafeteria. As they made their way down the hallway, they noticed how much attention Kai was getting from the female members of the school.

Upon reaching their destination, they spotted Mariah waving at them from a table. As they reached her she started talking.

"I wonder what classes you guys...are...gonna..." Her sentence died as she spotted Kai. She was openly staring and he was getting more uncomfortable by the second.

"OH MY GOD! IS THAT REALLY YOU KAI?" Mariah's startled exclamation surprised him. Did he look that bad? She goggled at him and said clearly,

"I can't believe you! If you had that kind of a body why didn't you show it off earlier? And don't you dare put those triangles back on your face! You look much cuter this way." It was impossible to find a darker red than Kai's face at this point in time. Realizing what she had said, Mariah flushed slightly and said defensively.

"Well, don't look at me like that! I was merely stating facts, and judging by the looks he's been getting from all the other girls; I'd say they agree with me." Looking around, the boys noticed that she had a point. Every girl in the vicinity looked ready to jump him. Suddenly Lee had a thought.

"Mariah, how long until THAT time kicks in?" She looked slightly embarrassed before answering.

"Within the next week." Lee, Ray, Kevin and Gary all turned pale instantly. This was bad news. Looking slightly confused, the Breakers asked for an explanation. Ray decided to save Mariah some mortification by explaining it for her.

"Once a year all the female neko-jin over the age of 14 are in heat." The look on their faces was priceless. Kai was the first to recover.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lee looked at him pointedly.

"Looking the way you do now, I think you'll be having some problems during this time." Kai sweat-drops.

"What kind of problems?" Lee switched to Chinese to save his friend embarrassment.

_"Mariah was right when she said all the females look ready to jump you. During that season females always become more dominant and as you may or may not have noticed, our cat-sides can sometime get the better of us, so they just might LITERALLY jump you."_ Kai flushed blood red once more as Lee finished his explanation. This was NOT something he had been anticipating and they were right, he might be having problems.

In this instance, he was VERY thankful that Tyson didn't understand Chinese. He would never let him hear the end of it. After lunch was finished, they went back to the first class they had entered to get their results.

Kenny was placed in the design class, Max in the building class, Tyson in the building class with Max and Kai...Kai wasn't placed yet. As the other three departed for their various classes, Lee's father approached him.

_"There seems to be a problem with your results."_

_"What kind of problem?"_

_"Your aptitude in all of the tested subjects was 100. That means you can join any class you wish."_ Kai tilted his head, thinking for a moment.

_"Is it possible to multi-class?"_

_"Yes it is. Ray is multi-classed with fighting and building, as is Lee. Which classes do you wish to join?"_

_"Fighting and Healing."_ There was a long silence before he nodded and answered.

_"That's an unusual combination. Well make it so you can take fighting classes with Ray and Lee, and your healing classes with Mariah."_ Nodding, Kai left for his first class...

Kai was surprisingly enthusiastic about his classes. He couldn't wait to get started. As he reached the healers class, he hesitated. Taking a deep breath, he walked in to find everyone standing around. Looking around, he spotted Mariah and made his way towards her. The numerous stares he received were lost on him.

As he reached the hyper Mariah, she glomped onto his arm.

"Oh wow! I can't believe you got into healing class! People are forever trying to get in here. You're the only guy in our class! Out of all five classes, there are no other boys who had an aptitude for healing." Raising an eyebrow at her, he asked if the seat next to hers was open. After seeing her nod, he plopped down in the seat. He crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and resumed his normal emotionless expression.

Sighing, she sat down next to him and proceeded to study him slowly. Without his face-paint he really did look quite scrumptious. Especially with those washboard abs peeping from beneath his top. She had noticed the numerous girls preening themselves in the hopes of attracting his attention.

He really was too gorgeous for his own good. LITERALLY. She really hoped that the security for THAT season would be better this year. The previous year, there had been numerous escapes where boys had been sexually harassed by some of the 'females-in-heat'.

THAT season lasted for a full month. Kai was going to need a lot of luck on his side during that time. Every female in the school had practically stripped him naked with their eyes. If any did escape, they would most likely make him their first target.

What made matters worse was the fact that Kai was inexperienced when it came to those types of things, not to mention not having full control over his cat side yet. He was also too modest to admit to himself that he was the most gorgeous guy anyone there had ever seen. The teacher entered the class and everybody scattered for their desks.

Kai merely opened his eyes for a moment before closing them again. Thus class started...

It was finally time to go home. Home? Yes home. Kai actually considered this place his home, though he would never admit this to the others. He was getting fed up fast.

He had finally noticed that people wouldn't stop staring at him. Their eyes followed wherever he went. Sighing, he ran to catch up with Mariah who he had just spotted up ahead. Since they stayed together, they might as well walk together.

Kai's POV:

I'm trying to catch up with Mariah, but these annoying people are blocking me the whole time. I finally manage to close the distance between us, after brushing a dozen people aside, and I put my hand on her shoulder.

She turns around, obviously surprised, and I smile inwardly.

"You going home already?" I ask. She nods and I fall into step next to her. We walk in silence for a while until I hear running water. I change direction slightly and make my way towards the sound. I see Mariah's surprised expression.

"Don't worry, I'll come along in a minute. I just wanna see something." She nods again and I make my way towards the sound, not realizing that somebody followed me...

Normal POV:

Following the sound of rushing water, Kai looked around the thick trunk of an old tree to see a beautiful river flowing.

He smiled softly, the calm sound soothing his frazzled nerves. He hears something behind him, and swings around. He sees one of the girls from his new school standing behind him. She was slightly shorter than him, with short black hair, yellow eyes, and an exceedingly predatory look in her eyes.

The most noticeable thing about this girl was the fact that she was so close to him, he could feel her breath fanning his cheek.

Surprised, he took a step back. Unfortunately, this caused him to trip over a tree root and slam his back against the large tree behind him.

The girl was on him in a second, taking advantage of his awkward position. She kicked his legs out from under him and bent over him. She pinned his arms next to him, using his injured shoulder as leverage. Once she had him pinned, she started nuzzling his neck.

Shocked, he tried to free himself. She squeezed his injured shoulder harder, making him see white. It really hurt.

She continued exploring his neck, until she reached the base where his neck and shoulder met. She nibbled there lightly and felt him shudder.

"Get off!" He growled, still struggling. Smirking, the girl simply continued what she was doing...

Mariah's POV:

I see Kai change direction slightly. I wonder where he's going. As I watch him he notices and says.

"Don't worry, I'll come along in a minute. I just wanna see something." I nod and he leaves. I shake my head and continue walking. I notice movement out of the corner of my eye.

Somebody darts between the trees before disappearing in the same direction as Kai. I decide to follow since their movements seem a bit suspicious. As I make my way towards the river I hear something.

In the distance I see Kai spin around. I see him back up and trip against the big tree behind him. I recognize the girl with him. It's Sadie Wong.

As I watch in horror she kicks his legs out from under him, and pins him to the tree. I wait for him to push her off when I realize something. His shoulder!

She was using his injury against him to keep him pinned. I see her nuzzle his neck and I realize what happened. She hit her heat early! I rush towards them as I hear Kai tell her to get off.

I see her digging her nails into his shoulder. He seems to be flinching in pain. As I reach them, I see her nibbling the base of his shoulder, and I knock her away.

From the corner of my eye, I notice him favoring his injured shoulder. It must really hurt right about now. I keep Sadie pinned below me and yell for Kai to fetch one of the teachers, or one of the adults.

I see him struggle to his feet and I feel my heart wrench. He looks so hurt, I can't stand it! I realize for the first time why I was always so worried about him, why I cared what he did, why I defended him. I love him...

Normal POV:

Feeling the pressure in his shoulder let up, Kai opened his eyes to see Mariah pinning his attacker beneath her. As she yells for him to fetch one of the adults, she keeps the other girl pinned beneath her.

Getting up slowly, he gives her a last look before running to do as she said. He was in no condition to fight, and he couldn't fight a girl even if he was completely healthy.

He didn't believe in fighting women, no matter how much they deserve it.

As he made his way back through the trees, he hears a commotion near the school building. Cautiously he makes his way towards the large building.

What he saw there stunned him.

There were neko-jins everywhere. The girls seemed to be chasing the guys, who were running as if their lives depended on it. Deciding against getting caught in the fray, he silently made his way into the building, only to find the adults in a grave emergency meeting.

He could hear them discussing plans to capture all the wayward females in the village, to prevent them from causing too much damage. Stepping forward to make his presence known, Kai asked.

"What the hell is going on? I thought this was supposed to take another week or so before it started?" Startled, all of them spun around to see Kai standing behind him. Sighing, Lee's father explained.

"It seems that this year's heat came early, but we fortunately planned for a situation like this." Kai looked skeptical, but decided to go along with it.

"What am I supposed to do in the mean-time?" He enquired. Looking at each other, the adults shifted uncomfortably. Lee's father spoke up again.

"I think it would be best if one of us escorts you back to your temporary residence. You just have to lock yourself in until tonight. I'll go with you quickly, but we have to hurry." Nodding his understanding, Kai followed Lee's father out, while the other adults split up to put plan "anti-heat" into action...

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Jaheira1000: Remember to R&R please! I live for reviews! Ja ne :P


	5. Chapter 5: New Marks and Old

Jaheira1000: Here you go peeps. Sorry it took so long to get it up…I lost internet access. Gomen! Anyway…I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I wish…

**Dedication: This Chapter is dedicated to KaiLover2006, Lioku and Demoness-MarlstonWells69ner. Thanx 4 getting me off my behind guys!**

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CHAPTER FIVE: New Marks and Old

Kai sighed in relief after locking the door behind him. They had made it safely to Kai's temporary home without too much trouble.

Frowning, he thought of the problems the village must have had in the past. He walked over to his small cupboard and took out some comfortable clothes to sleep in. After all, what else was he going to do?

As he stripped off his shirt, he noticed a strange mark on his right shoulder. It was a tiny mark in the form of a reddish-pink claw. It was smaller than his palm. Reaching up, he tried to rub it off. He frowned when he saw it wasn't coming off. Shrugging, he decided to dismiss it.

He had another strange mark on his body, but that one he had been born with. Turning his back to the mirror, he looked over his shoulder. Reflected in the shiny surface was what looked like a tattoo in the shape of his bit-beast Dranzer. His birth mark. The red picture looked like it was about to take off, its beautiful wings spread wide. It was placed in his lower back, the talons of the picture hidden beneath the waistband of his pants.

He didn't know why he had it, but he wouldn't be surprised if it had something to do with the village he was currently staying in. That was why he didn't want to remove his shirt when his injury was being treated. Hopefully though, the old lady would attribute it to his modesty.

Frowning once more, he pulled on his night clothes (Even though it was day-time) and got into his bed. After a few more minutes of reflection, he fell asleep.

A loud noise from outside woke Kai with a start. There was the sound of shouting and confusion. He cautiously stood up and quickly got dressed.

It was evening already, and he decided to go outside to see what was going on. He was amazed to find the whole village crowded around, and even the Breakers were there. As he moved towards the source of the noise, he saw Mariah in the centre, surrounded by the Elders' who were making a fuss of her. She was also the only female present, since the others were confined due to heat.

As he stepped up, Kai wondered what was going on. He came in time to hear one of the Elders' exclaim.

_"But how can this be? She already has a betrothed! It must not happen like this." _Seeing the newest addition to the fray, Lee quietly explained what was going on.

_"It seems we have a problem. All the females in the tribe started heat early, but have been restrained. Mariah however, didn't hit heat. When they checked her, they noticed that she had received the mate-mark."_ Kai was confused.

_"Mate-mark?" _Lee nodded gravely.

_"This means that she is the chosen mate of the clans future leader, but she already has a betrothed who we know for a fact is not the next leader of the clan. This is going to cause all kinds of problems because the clans' new leader has not yet been found." _Looking sceptical Kai asked.

_"How is the leader found?" _Lee smiled.

_"Normally every youth in the village would battle the current leader until he has been defeated. The mark of the White Tiger will then be placed upon his forehead and he will become the new leader. So far however, nobody in the village has managed to defeat the leader. There is also a legacy which must be fulfilled during the next year." _Kai was getting frustrated.

_"What kind of a legacy?" _Noticing Kai's impatience, Lee briefly explained.

_"The Legacy was made by the greatest seer of all time. She has never made a prophecy that was not fulfilled. It states that fifty-nine years after the war between our clans started, a new leader shall take over both clans. He is supposed to be distinguished by a special mark on his back, but the Elders' have never told us what that mark is. All we do know is that this is the fifty-nineth year. That's why the Elders' are so against this right now. They don't think the new leader will appreciate being told that he has to marry Mariah. Not to mention the fact that Mariah's fiance isn't going to like this." _Kai had turned slightly pale as a possibility occurred to him. He decided to shrug it off as coincidence though.

The Elders' decided to let everybody go home for now until they could decide on their next course of action. As everybody dispersed, Kai noticed Mariah's dejected face. Little did he know that she was feeling like that because of him.

Mariah's POV:

Now what am I supposed to do? Now that I have the mate-marks I am bound to the village. I'll be forced to marry the new leader. I hate these traditions.

The one person I really care about is the one who is most out of reach. No matter what the Elders' say, they will find a way to break my arrangement with Jun Wong. He is the guy I'm promised to.

There aren't many ways of freeing a girl from her engagement. It usually requires the consent of the bridegroom as well as the bride. Another way is to have somebody else fight him in order to claim me. Both choices are equally grim, since Kai would probably never fight for me, and even if he did, he probably wouldn't win. Jun is one of the strongest fighters in the village. He's even stronger than some of the adults.

I turn away from my home and head towards the falls. They are my only comfort in these days ahead...

Normal POV:

Kai watched Mariah walk away. He also noticed somebody else follow her out. It was somebody in his fighting class, Jun Wong. He decides to follow them, just to make sure Mariah would be okay.

He was concerned for her because she was a friend. As he neared the falls, he realised it was where he himself had been attacked earlier. He walked closer only to hear raised voices, _"What are you doing here Jun?"_

_"What do you think I'm doing here? I want to know why you have those marks. You're supposed to be mine, nobody else's!"_

_"I'm not a possession Jun! You don't own me! And I certainly don't love you!"_

_"I know that Mariah, but I still want you! I'm going to show you right now that you are mine. After I'm through, nobody else would possibly want you. Nobody wants second hand goods!"_ As Kai came closer, he saw Jun latch himself onto Mariah, while tugging at her top.

As he saw this display, he felt his anger flare. He just saw red. He didn't question himself, or think about consequences. All he knew was that when Mariah whimpered in fright, he wanted to commit murder.

Rushing forward, he tackled her assailant. Looking around in shock, Mariah couldn't believe what she saw. Not only had she been rescued, but her hero was Kai! She watched as Kai gave Jun a black eye, and backed away. The two faced off against each other before Jun spat, _"Fine! If you want it like that, I challenge you to a duel for daring to interrupt me and my fiance." _Kai merely looked disdainful.

_"If you ever wanna try and find yourself a girl, try to avoid disgusting her first. Forcing yourself on somebody is not the way to go." _Jun just turned and stormed away. Mariah tried to thank him, but as she stepped forwards, her legs gave way. The strain had just been too much for her. Kai managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

Carrying her bridal style, he made his way back to her house. Upon reaching it, he made straight for her bedroom. After placing her on the bed, he left the room.

Mariah started shaking. He was probably disgusted with her. That was probably why he had left without saying anything.

To her surprise, he came back a while later with herbs and other medical substances. She watched in surprise as he slowly began to make a small cup of a special herbal drink. After he was done, he gave it to her. She took it but, instead of drinking it, she just stared at her lap.

She looked up in surprise when he spoke softly.

"It's a sedative. It will help for the shock. I'm not upset you know." His eyes searched hers as she just kept watching her. Eventually she managed.

"So... you're not disgusted with me?" Now it was his turn to be surprised.

"Why in the world would I be disgusted with you? I think it's very brave what you did. Most girls would have lied and made out with him for fear of what he would do. You had the guts to say what you felt, and I respect that." Realising how much he had said, Kai cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I hope you feel better soon." Were his parting words. Mariah sat silent for a moment before smiling brightly. Those few words he had said to her helped more than any sedative would have.

Maybe things wouldn't turn out so badly. At least she knew Kai respected her, and that meant more to her than anything else in the world.

Hopefully Jun would forget about his challenge soon but, in thinking that, she was being overly optimistic. Jun was very self-centred, and could not forget the insult to his pride. So it was that the next day, he made a request to the Elders' for a duel. They agreed upon a date some two weeks later to give Kai's shoulder time to heal properly. They thought he would need it...

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Jaheira1000: There! All done -pants heavily while looking at bruised fingers- That was done in less than thirty minutes! Please show your appreciation by reviewing! Ja ne :P


	6. Chapter 6: Duelling?

Jaheira1000: Hey Mina! Sorry it took so long. I had another back op. I'm glad I got this up by Christmas though. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Why must I torture myself by saying it?!? It's not mine!

**THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO LIOKU. YOU ASKED ME TO UPDATE SO NICELY :P ALSO TO BLUEGREENGRAY!!!**

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CHAPTER SIX: Duelling?

It was finally the day of the duel. Kai stood calmly in his normal pose against the wall, but everybody else was fussing like they would never see him again.

The duel would continue until one of the competitors gave up, or until the Elders' decided he had no more chance of winning. Both competitors would receive their choice of weapon and had to wear the traditional uniforms. These consisted of comfortable Chinese shoes, baggy black pants like Ray's normal outfit and black Chinese shirts with red ties and sash.

Both competitors made their way towards the fighting arena, which consisted of a very large clearing. Both approached the Elders' who had before them, a large array of weapons.

Jun immediately picked up the flashiest weapon, a large broad-sword. Everybody was curious to see which weapon Kai would choose. He looked around, before settling on a well-crafted pair of short-swords.

They had golden handles with a glowing red gem set in the base of the hilt. As he lifted them from their resting place, the gems glowed slightly. The Elders' looked at each other, but said nothing.

Having made their selections, the two adversaries faced off, awaiting the starting signal. Inwardly Jun was smirking. How much damage could a pair of short-swords do?

As they received the start sign, he rushed forward. Everybody gasped as he swung his sword straight towards the other boy's chest. He wasn't planning on wasting any time. At the last moment, Kai twirled around, avoiding the sword and leaving the smallest of scrapes on Jun's left arm. Jumping back, Jun looked at the thin trickle of blood.

Maybe he had under-estimated his opponent. As he lunged forwards again, their swords crashed together. Kai had crossed the two swords to defend.

Smirking, Jun kicked at Kai's feet, causing the other boy to stumble slightly. Just as he was about to take advantage of the slip, he realised that the other boy hadn't slipped, but pretended to, in order to get a gap. Jumping back, he narrowly dodged a blow aimed at his shoulder. This guy was good. Deciding to finish the fight, Jun changed his stance and approached more cautiously. The fight was getting interesting, he would break Kai's defences once or twice, but the other boy was just too fast. Jun almost had him with his last thrust, but the aggravating bluenette just leapt backwards in a beautiful arc to land on a tree behind him. Looking down at his adversary, Kai decided to stop playing around.

The spectators were speechless. Jun's arms and legs were covered in small scratches and he was panting, while Kai was uninjured and looking like he hadn't even warmed up. As the blades came together once more, Kai pushed forwards, intending to finish it. Seeing the smallest of gaps, Jun lunged forwards. Seeing him just in time, Kai ducked and rolled away slightly. They all heard a small ripping noise as the right shoulder of Kai's shirt was torn before he tackled Jun and pinned him, with the two blades scissored around his neck, the points embedded in the ground.

There was a moment of silence before the Elders' moved forward. Noticing the torn shoulder of his shirt, he quickly used his other hand to cover the claw mark, making it look like his shoulder was injured. Running towards him, Mariah threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. Blushing, he pushed her away slightly.

Mariah's grandmother also came forwards and noticed him holding his shoulder. Moving to stand in front of him, she demanded to see his shoulder. Paling slightly, he declined. She tugged slightly at his hand.

Finally, with some help from Gary, she managed to prise his hand away from his shoulder. As she saw the mark she gasped and clutched at her heart. Everybody gathered around her while, unable to speak from pure shock, she simply pointed at Kai. The Elders', noticing her reaction, also moved forwards. Seeing the mark, they all immediately started whispering to each other.

Frowning at their reactions, he demanded to know what all the fuss was about. Instead of answering him, the head Elder simply looked at Gary's father, who nodded slightly.

To his surprise, the older male stepped forward and pinned his arms behind him.

_"What do you think you're doing?" _He demanded. The older man refused to look him in the face. The Elders' stepped towards him and made another motion with their heads. The adults nearest them, grabbed hold of the Breakers who had been moving forward to help their friend. The head Elder smiled and spoke English for their benefit.

"Don't worry, we won't harm him. There is just one thing we would like to see." At this point, Kai had a pretty good idea about what was going on, but a small voice in his head was practically screaming at him to prevent them from finding out about the mark on his back.

Unfortunately, since strength ran in Gary's family, he couldn't release himself from the tight grip. It didn't stop him from trying though. He struggled as they moved towards him. He stopped struggling as they lifted the remains of his shirt off. Seeing him stop struggling, he was released.

The head Elder looked expectantly at Kai. Keeping his eyes focused on the ground before him, he turned his back towards them slowly. Only the Elders' knew what to expect, but even though they had been suspicious, they never imagined it to be true. The mark of the Phoenix was on this young man, which meant he was the village's next leader.

The mark on his shoulder looked identical to the one on Mariah's left shoulder. Meanwhile, the young lady in question was trying to take it all in. She was mated to Kai, but he still didn't know. She couldn't believe her luck. She had never been happier, but she was worried about how he would take it.

Everybody in the village watched in shock as the Elders' sank low in a bow. Slowly, the villagers realised what was happening. As realisation hit them, they all slowly bowed.

Blinking in surprise, Kai could only watch as the villagers all slowly bowed to him. He looked around him in shock. Silently willing them to stand up. His face felt like it was on fire. He couldn't believe it. Of all people, why him? As the villagers slowly rose again, the head Elder approached him once more.

_"It seems you are more important than even we thought young one. We will be issuing another challenge. We would like you to battle our village leader."_ Kai narrowed his eyes while the White Tigers gasped. The Elders' had requested a battle! It was unheard of. Vaguely, Kai remembered the legacy Lee had told him about. He pressed his hands to his temples in an effort to think clearly. After a furious inner battle, he nodded shortly before saying.

_"If it's not too inconvenient, could we do it right now?"_ Everybody was shocked, but the current leader stepped forward and accepted the challenge with an inclination of his head. The present leader was taller than Kai, though not by much, he wore the traditional fighters outfit, which looked identical to the one Kai was currently wearing with a crimson headband covering his forehead. He had dark green hair and, surprisingly, matching green eyes.

Slowly, they took up their stances. The present leader, also known as Guy Long, chose a double-bladed sword as his weapon, while Kai chose to keep his two short-swords. Everybody was watching in fear. Guy was much more experienced than Kai. This would be a dangerous fight for him.

They were very shocked to see him use a different stance from the one he had used against Jun. Observing this, Guy smiled slightly. He was actually serious this time.

The starting sign was made, and Guy leapt forward. He was much faster than Jun, and they were amazed to see Kai meet the attack head-on. As the blades clashed, dust was kicked up. The next thing anybody saw was two very athletic neko-jin's at it.

They leapt towards each other, leapt aside, threw themselves forward. It seemed like a never-ending cycle of attacking and dodging. Mariah held her breath as she saw Guy scrape Kai's cheek, leaving the tiniest of scratches on his face.

Suddenly, Guy managed to get the upper hand by making a very realistic fake to the left and in reality attacking from the right. As the blade descended towards him, Kai flipped backwards, placing his hands on the ground behind him and blocking with his feet. Kicking the blade away from himself, he completed the back-flip. Losing his temper, Guy tried rushing him. Seeing this, Kai bent his knees, and placed his hands on the ground behind him once more.

Instead of blocking the blade, however, he hooked his ankles around Guys' neck before throwing him to the ground. Before his opponent could pull himself together, Kai pinned him to the ground in the same manner as he had done with Jun only a short time ago.

Kai slowly released the villages' former leader to face the Elders'.

_"Are you happy now? I defeated him. Now let me go, I'm tired."_ Smiling, the head Elder came forward.

_"It's true that you won, but there is one more thing to be done before you may rest."_ With these words, the Elder leaned over and removed the headband from Guys' forehead. There was the tiniest mark of an attacking White Tiger in his forehead. It was only about two centimetres in diameter. As they watched, the picture started glowing brightly. Blocking the harsh glare from their eyes, everybody was surprised to hear a yell of pain from Kai. Another beam of light started rising from Kai's back before the two beams wound themselves together.

As the light dimmed, they saw Kai kneeled on the ground, clutching his forehead. Rushing forward, the White Tigers and Breakers surrounded him in concern. As he removed his hands, they were shocked to see the same picture there. Their shock increased when they turned around to see nothing on Guys forehead. It was as if the picture had leapt off the one onto the other, which in actual fact was exactly what had happened. They were so shocked they didn't notice the small shadowed figure disappear into the forest...

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Jaheira1000: There you go! I hope you enjoyed! Please R&R!


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